There are a lot of factors that can affect your decision when buying a mobile device amidst the mogul mobile wars, from price to security, marketplace and usability.  There’s a give and take when it comes to the dominant players in the mobile market and consumer action, drumming up some interesting developments in the OS wars, market share and end user appeal.  While Apple’s been on the defensive lately, Android has lost market share for four quarters in a row.  There’s opportunity to be had by both iOS and Android, but it’s a matter of who has the best strategy in the end.  Though there’s no certainty around either competing OS, we do have some insight from InMobi’s latest report on how the market landscape is shaping up.

OS Wars

According to InMobi’s latest Mobile Insights Report: North American Edition, iOS’ lead over Android has increased in recent weeks, with iOS at 35% and Android now at 31% compared to November 2011’s data where in iOS was at 28.2% and Android was at 34.5%.  InMobi’s findings are supported by the fact that the top three handsets in February 2012 are all Apple devices, which now make up 23% share of total handset impressions.

“We expect to see continued growth in iOS, driven by last week’s unveiling of the new iPad, as well as the reduced pricing of iPad 2, now $399, from $499,” says Anne Frisbie, Vice President and Managing Director, North America, InMobi.

“The iOS growth on our network and increased adoption of tablets overall align with the results of our recent Mobile Media Consumption Study, which unveils that North American mobile consumers are already spending more time on mobile connected devices than TVs or PCs.”

Europeans More Receptive To Mobile Ads

Connected devices have certainly changed the ad game, making mobile key to marketing’s future. According to another study by madvertise, Europeans are more responsive to mobile ads compared to Americans at 34% versus 20%.  Of the European countries, smartphone users in Germany, Italy and the UK were more likely to click on ads, conduct research or make purchases.  The study also states that tablet users are more likely to take action compared to smartphone users.

“Mobile media consumption has also been exploding with the rise of the various app stores, but also with the growth of the mobile web,” Carsten Frien, CEO and co-founder of madvertise, a mobile ad network based in Berlin said. “In Western Europe, there has been a very steep increase in advertising dollars that are spent.”

Smartphone Usage Could Lead To Identity Theft

With the rise in mobile activity across apps and the web, there’s a subsequent increase in malware attacks and personal identity theft.  A study from Javelin Strategy and Research states that identity theft rose by 13% from 2010, because people are sharing too much information on the internet with the use of their mobile devices.  And in 2011, 11.6 million adults became victims of identity fraud in the United States alone.

According to the report, “seven percent of smartphone owners were victims of identity fraud. This isa 1/3rd higher incidence rate compared to the general public. Part of this increase may be attributable to consumer behavior: 32 percent of smartphone owners do not update to a new operating system when it becomes available; 62 percent do not use a password on their home screen—enabling anyone to access their information if the phone is lost; and 32 percent save login information on their device.”

This is another area Apple has an advantage, as their closed system leaves less room for criminal software distribution.  Mobile is a particularly vulnerable market for malware, and the struggle between iOS and Android will spill into security and privacy matters as well.  Both OS’s need to continue their efforts to protect their developer and customer communities, providing the safest platform possible for a happy mobile marketplace.